Memphis leads nation in 'Black Panther' box office spikeTechnically since we are 13% of the population, we are over performing for attendance.
Memphis played a big part of the record opening set by "Black Panther" last weekend.
Bloomberg reported that opening weekend ticket sales in Memphis were 81 percent higher than the average opening weekend that movies experience here; with that figure, the city placed No. 1 in the country for moviegoer enthusiasm for "Black Panther."
Atlanta ranked No. 2 for percent increase in attendance versus the average, with ticket sales that were 56 percent higher than usual, followed by New Orleans, where ticket sales were 45 percent higher.
Jeff Kaufman, senior vice president of film at Memphis-based Malco Theatres Inc., said he was unsure how Bloomberg came up with their figures and so couldn't verify them.
Bloomberg cited "Black Panther" distributor Walt Disney Co. as the source of its data.
But, Kaufman confirmed that the number of screens the movie played on across the cinema chain was more than Malco had ever offered for any other film, including "Star Wars."
"There was a lot of interest nationally," Kaufman said. "There was a lot of interest locally."
Malco made "Black Panther" tickets available for pre-purchase more than a week before the movie came out, which Kaufman said the company does for tentpole films such as "Jurassic World" and "Star Wars."
https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis...leads-the-nation-in-black-panther-ticket.html